3 Fascinating Facts About Animals At Night

1. Bat Watch: Watch the evening sky this Halloween, and you might spot one of these cool creatures fluttering overhead. Like trick-or-treaters, bats come out at night to find yummy snacks, except bats go for moths, mosquitoes, and other insects – not candy. Don’t worry about close encounters, though. Bats use echolocation – a sort of radar – to avoid flying into trees, houses, electrical poles, and trick-or-treaters. Learn more bat facts!

2. Owl Prowl: Also be on the lookout for owls. Owls take wing at sunset to hunt mice, rabbits, moles, and even bats. Owl eyes are much more sensitive to light than human eyes, helping them see clearly even when it’s dark. Kids can experiment with “owl sight” by looking through a pair of binoculars at dusk. Everything will seem a little brighter because the binoculars gather light as an owls’ eyes do.

3. Bright Eyes: If you see an animal’s eyes glowing in the dark, don’t let it scare you. Dogs, cats, deer, raccoons, possums, and owls have a special reflective surface in each eye called a tapetum lucidum. Because it reflects light inside the eye, it helps these animals see better at night. When faced with flashlights or headlights from cars, an animal’s eyes reflect those bright beams the way mirrors do.

Jennifer Bové, mom and former field biologist, is an award-winning contributor to Your Big Backyard®and the editor of three anthologies including Wild With Child: Adventures of Families in the Great Outdoors. Jennifer’s blog is filled with timely tips and family fun. Stop by for a visit atwww.bovesboots.blogspot.com.